Category / Sabbath School Teaching Plans

by In Light Of The Cross

9: Jerusalem Controversies-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School Class August 31, 2024.

Main Theme: While the religious leaders tried to defeat Jesus they never could. Jesus’ teaching and examples will help truth to be victorious in our day as well.

Read in Class: Mark 11:12-26. Ask the class to define the main idea of this passages.

Study:  What is the significance of the events depicted here?

Apply: What things in your life do you need Jesus to clean? How does this happen?

Share: Your friend asks you, what if Jesus came into our church today? What signs of irreverance might He find? What do you tell your friend? What solutions might you share with your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 11:27-33. Ask the class the define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What challenge did the religious leaders bring to Jesus, and how did He respond?

Apply: Read Mark 12:1-12. How did this story apply to those accusing Jesus?

Share: Your friend tells you she has been trying to share with her inlaws Bible truths she has been learning in the Adventist Church. However, one of her inlaws is a pastor of another denomination. Her inlaws tell her they will listen to their relative pastor, but not to her because she is not a pastor, and has no authority to be trying to teach the Bible to them. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 12:13-27. Ask the class to summarize this passage.

Study: What is going on here, and what truths does Jesus teach?

Apply: If someone were to ask you, “Do you know the power of God?” what would you reply, and why?

Share: Your friend asks what Jesus meant when He said, “But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.” Your friend asks you if this means Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are still alive right now? What do you tell your friend?  

Read in Class: Mark 12:28-34. Ask the class to summarize this passage.

Study: What deep question did the friendly scribe ask, and what double response did Jesus give?

Apply: How do we learn to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves? Why is the Cross the key to following these commands?

Share: At the end of Mark 12:28-34 it says “no one dared ask Him any questions after that.” Your friend asks you what it was about that teaching that made them stop asking Jesus questions? What do you tell your friend?

by In Light Of The Cross

8: Teaching Disciples, Part 2-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, August 24, 2024.

Main Theme: Jesus’ lessons prepare us for the challenges of discipleship.

Read in Class: Mark 10:1-16, Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24. . Define he main idea of these passages.

Study: How did the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with their question? What did Jesus teach in these passages about the sacredness of marriage and family, including children?

Apply: How does your church family encourage and mentor married couples and their children?

Share: Your friend says she would love to work with the kids in Adventurers, but with so much in the media today concerning teachers and kids, she does not want to be falsely accused of anything, so she has decided not to participate. What do you tell your friend? See Coaching and Mentoring Vs. Grooming.

Read in Class: Mark 10:17-31. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What crucial lessons about faith and the cost of discipleship­—for anyone, rich or poor—is revealed here?

Apply: Read Romans 6:1-11. How do these verses describe the reality of letting go of selfish ambition and following Jesus.

Share: Your friend asks, why did Jesus ask the young ruler to sell all that he had? Why not just some of what he had or even just half? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 10:32-45. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How do these verses reveal the continued ignorance of the disciples regarding not only Jesus’ mission but what it means to follow Him?

Apply: What does it mean as a Christian to be a “servant” to others? That is, how do you manifest this principle in your daily interaction with people?

Share: Your friend asks you if you can name a leader who has led with a servant’s heart? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 10:46-52. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How did Bartimaeus react to Jesus’ passing by?

Apply: In what ways have you at times cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”? What happened, and what did you learn from this experience?

Share: Can you think of someone who could use Jesus’ help this week? How can you be the hands of Jesus in helping that person this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

7: Teaching Disciples Part 1-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, August 17, 2024.

Main Theme: This section of the second Gospel is marked off by the healing of two different blind men, one at the middle of Mark 8:1-38 and the other at the end of Mark 10:1-52. These miracle “bookends” illustrate dramatically how discipleship includes spiritual insight regarding who Jesus is and where He is going. As His teachings challenged the twelve disciples about two thousand years ago, so they continue to confront disciples today with the deep cost, and benefit, of following Jesus.

Read in Class: Mark 8:22-30. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Why did it take Jesus two touches to heal the blind man, and what lessons came out of this account?

Apply: What does this story teach us about times when it’s important not to say some things, however true they might be?

Share: Your friend asks you if it has ever taken you a while to understand something in Scripture. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 8:31-38. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does Jesus teach here about the cost of following Christ?

Apply: “ ‘He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life’ ” (John 12:25). How have you experienced the reality of these words?

Share: Your friend asks you if there was ever a time when you had to make a public stand or confession for Jesus, maybe even when no one else was standing up for Jesus? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 9:1-27. Summarize this story.

Study: What did Peter, James, and John see one night with Jesus?

Apply: In what situations, if any, have you had to cry out, “ ‘I believe; help my unbelief’ ”? What did you learn from those experiences?

Share: Your friend asks what led to the disciples lack of faith in this story. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 9:30-41. Define the main idea in this passage.

Study: What is different about Jesus’ second prediction of His death and resurrection (compare with Mark 8:31)? Also, what do the disciples argue about, and what instruction does Jesus give?

Apply: What is the biblical idea of greatness in contrast to the world’s idea? Which one are you striving for?

Share: Your friend says, we may not come right out and say we are the greatest, but in what ways or actions do people try to say they are the greatest today?

by In Light Of The Cross

6: Inside Out-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, August 10, 2024.

Main Theme: In Jesus’ teachings He put the Scriptures above man made traditions.

Read in Class: Mark 7:1-23. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What relevant truths are presented here? What did Jesus say causes contamination of a person?

Apply: Might we have some “traditions” that perhaps conflict with the principles of God’s law? If so, what might they be?

Share: Your friend says that according to this story we have just read, that it is okay to eat pork? What do you tell you your friend? How might Matthew 15:20 help clarify things for your friend? See also, Does Mark 7 Tell us it is Okay to eat Pork?

Read in Class: Mark 7:24-30. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What important lessons are found in this story?

Apply: Why is prejudice against other races and nationalities contrary to the teaching of Jesus? How can we seek to be purged of this evil?

Share: Your friend says that Jesus appears to be a little prejudice Himself in this story? Your friend asks why He was acting the way He was. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 7:31-37. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: Who was brought to Jesus, and what did Jesus do for him?

Apply: What do you do with the gifts you have been given regarding hearing and speaking (for they are gifts)? How are you using them?

Share: Your friend asks why Jesus told people not to tell about the wonderful things he did for them. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 8:11-21. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study:  What approach by the Pharisees deeply disappointed Jesus? What had the disciples forgotten, and what point did Jesus make from this?

Apply: How can we learn to keep our hearts and minds open to the reality of God and to His love? Dwell on all the evidence that we have been given for God and for His love. At times, though, why does it seem so easy to doubt?

Share: What portion of this week’s Bible study do you think may be important to share with someone this week? How might you share this teaching with someone this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

5: Miracles Around the Lake-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School Class, August 3, 2024.

Main Theme: Jesus can perform any kind of miracle that we need.

Read in Class: Mark 4:35-41. Have the class define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What happens in this story, and what lessons can we take from it about who Jesus is?

Apply: Think about the power of God. How can you learn to lean on this power and to trust it in all things in your life?

Share: Your friend asks, why Jesus rebuked the disciples lack of faith, while they actually had the faith to beg Him to calm the storm? What do you tell your friend? See Do you Have Enough Faith NOT to ask Jesus to Calm the Storm?

Read in Class: Mark 5:21-43. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What characteristics particularly stand out about Jairus? What interrupts the progress toward Jairus’s house?

Apply: The disciples asked Jesus how He knew someone touched him, while so many people were incidentally running into Him in the crowd. What is the difference between brushing up against Jesus and reaching out to touch Him? How can we apply incidentally running into Jesus or actually touching Him in our prayer and devotional life?

Share: Your friend asks why Jesus said the girl was not dead but sleeping, when it says He raised her from the dead? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 6:1-6. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study:  Why did Jesus’ hometown people reject Him?

Apply: Have you ever experienced rejection by your own friends, family or even church? Did this expereince draw you closer to Jesus? How did it help you mature in your faith?

Share: Your friend asks why Jesus’ own family and townfolks rejected Him? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 6:34-52. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What was the problem Jesus and His disciples confronted, and how was it solved?

Apply: What should this story tell us about why a correct understanding of prophecy is important? If a false understanding of Christ’s first coming led to disaster for some, how much more so could a false understanding do the same for some in regard to His second?

Share: Can you share a time when you thought you may not have enough and God still worked a miracle to provide for you?

by In Light Of The Cross

Do you Have Enough Faith NOT to ask Jesus to Calm the Storm?

Something always bothered me about the story about Jesus calming the storm, and why Jesus asked His disciples where their faith was? I thought they were showing faith when they asked Him to calm the storm. Then one day it finally dawned on me. Let’s look. 

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So, they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).  But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:35-40 NLT

First it is important to notice that it was Jesus’ idea to cross the lake. Many times, we are following Jesus’ leading, but when things start to go wrong and we run into problems we start doubting our calling. I remember when I was living in Texas and got the call to be a Bible Worker in Florida. Everything seemed to be working out perfectly so I felt it was God’s will to go. While I was in the middle of what I considered to be a smooth transition, my aunt said something that surprised me. She said, “You are going to run into problems in Florida. But God will still be with you.” Her words proved true. Without going into detail not everything went as smooth at first as I thought it would. But God was with me and got me through those storms, until finally I was sailing on peaceful seas. When Jesus calls us, He is aware of the storms ahead. Sometimes He calls us into the storm. The question we need to ask ourselves, is not “Will everything work out smoothly?” The only question we need to ask ourselves is, “Did Jesus call me?” 

This leads me to why Jesus asked the disciples about their faith after He calmed the storm. I always thought He was questioning if He could calm the storm but that clearly was not the case. They knew He could calm the storm. That is why they were calling on Him. I believe what Jesus was really asking was, “Don’t you have any faith? Why did you need me to calm this storm? Why couldn’t you just ride this storm out with me?” 

If Joseph had never been sold and betrayed by his family, his dream of being a ruler never would have come true. If Naomi’s husband and sons had never died, she never would have gone back to her homeland with Ruth, where Ruth became an important role in the lineage of the Savior. If the early church had never been persecuted it never would have had to flee to spread the Gospel in foreign lands. It is often the storms of life that get us to where we need to be. Sailboats move by the wind, and if there is no wind there is no progress. Instead of asking Jesus to calm every storm our way, we need to have the faith to ride out the storm with Jesus and have enough faith to let Jesus take us wherever the storm needs to take us. 

A while back a friend shared with me an experience where his family abandoned him as a very small child by the side of the road. It was heartbreaking. As an adult my friend asked Jesus where He was when his family abandoned him at such an early age. He told me God opened his eyes, and immediately he relived the scene where He was abandoned, except this time He saw Jesus walking beside him on the side of the road, smiling at him with love. Not too long after that I went through a stressful situation, nothing like being abandoned by family or friends, but to me a storm, nonetheless. As I prayed about my “storm” one morning, I remembered my friend’s testimony. This may sound silly, but I just spent a few moments imagining myself in the boat with Jesus in the middle of the storm. I imagined Jesus and me just sitting together in the bottom of the boat smiling at each other, while the boat was tossed about on the waves and the disciples were all freaking out. I imagined Jesus smiling and winking at me assuring me everything was going to be okay, and there was no reason to freak out with the disciples. This gave me peace in the middle of the storm and of course everything worked out fine in the end. 

Recently I was on an airplane that hit some turbulence. I and many of the other passengers have experienced turbulence on a plane before so it did not alarm any of us. We just kept listening to our music and reading our books. I reminded myself I should stay just as calm when life hits turbulence. I should remain calm, and just ride out the storm with Jesus. Having enough faith to believe Jesus can calm the storm is one thing. Having enough faith to not ask Jesus to calm the storm, and just ride it out with Him is even greater. 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

4: Parables-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, July 27, 2024.

Main Theme: Jesus used parables to help His listeners relate to the Gospel.

Read in Class: Mark 4:1-9. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What are the different soils like, and what happens to the seed that falls on them?

Apply: What are some other spiritual lessons that we can learn from nature?

Share: Your friend asks, you if you have ever seen any fruit from the spiritual seeds you have planted. What testimonies can you share with your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 4:10-20. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: Why did Jesus teach in parables, and how did Jesus interpret the parable of the sower?

Apply: Consider your own life. Are any characteristics of the path, the rocky ground, or weedy ground creeping into your experience? This could happen more subtly than you realize. What choice can you make to change, if need be?

Share: Your friend asks why Jesus did not want those on the outside to understand the parables? What do you tell your friend? Hint: 1 Corinthians 2:14.

Read in Class: Mark 4:21-25. What are the main ideas of these passages?

Study:  What is Jesus’ special emphasis in the parable of the lamp? What lesson is Jesus conveying with the parable of the measuring basket?

Apply: How can we better understand the principle that with what measure you use, it will be measured to you? Think about it in all your dealings with others.

Share: Your friend asks why the one has little has even that taken away from them? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 4:26-32. What are the main ideas of these passages?

Study: What is the primary focus of each parable?  What is the important stress of the parable of the mustard seed?

Apply: “ ‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come’ ” (Matthew 24:14). Consider what the “church” was like when Jesus made that prediction. Why is this such a remarkable and faith-affirming prediction?

Share: Your friend asks you how you are currently sowing the Gospel seeds. What do you tell your friend?

by In Light Of The Cross

3: Controversies-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, July 20, 2024.

Main Theme: This week we will look at how Jesus handled some controversial situations and what we can learn from Him.

Read in Class: Mark 2:1-12. Discuss the main ideas in this passage.

Study: What was the paralytic looking for when he was brought to Jesus, and what did he receive?

Apply: In the story in Mark 2:1-12, Jesus is preaching the Gospel. A group of frirends are bringing another friend to Jesus to hear the Gospel. Another group of people are critisizing Jesus and questioning Jesus’ words and methods. Which group to you most closely identify with and why? Which group was doing waht they were supposed to be doing?

Share: Your friend asks how Micah 6:6-8 explains what was happening between Jesus and the leaders. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 2:13-22. Ask the class to summarize this passage.

Study: Who was Levi, the son of Alphaeus, and why would there be an objection to him becoming a disciple of Jesus?

Apply: Who are those who today might be looked upon as the tax collectors were in Jesus’ day? How do we adjust our thinking regarding them?

Share: Your friend asks you if we should be fasting to today, and if so why and how? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 2:23-28. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: How does Jesus counter the charge brought by the Pharisees?

Apply: In the NLT Mark 2:24 says the pharisees accused the disciples of “harvesting grain on the Sabbath.” Really? All they were doing was plucking a few heads of grain to eat right then. Would you really consider that “harvesting?” Were the pharisees going a little overboard on this accusation? What are some things we sometimes go overbaord on or may be a little too picky about?

Share: Your friend asks you what Mark 3:1-6 teaches about Sabbath keeping. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 3:20-35. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What connection do you see between the two stories intertwined in this passage?

Apply: Based on Scripture how would you explain what the unpardonable sin is?

Share: Your friend says she is afraid she has commited the unpardonable sin. What do you tell your friend?

by In Light Of The Cross

2: A Day in the Ministry of Jesus-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, July 13, 2024.

Main Theme: Mark 1 gives us practical lessons for sharing the Gospel in day to day life.

Read in Class: Mark 1:16-28. Ask the class to summarize this passage.

Study: Who were the men Jesus called as disciples, and what was their response? What unforgettable experience happened in the Capernaum synagogue, and what spiritual truths can we take from this account?

Apply: What have you been called to give up in order to follow Jesus? (Think about the implications of your answer, especially if you can’t think of anything.)

Share: Your friend asks,”Why did Jesus tell the demons to be quiet when they were telling the truth? Is there a time for us to keep quiet even about things that are true?” What do you tell your friend? See, Why did Jesus Tell the Demons not to tell Everyone who He was?

Read in Class: Mark 1:29-34. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: How did Jesus help Peter’s family, and what spiritual lessons can we draw from this account?

Apply: When and how has Jesus healed you, and how did it make you serve Him better?

Share: Your friend asks, “Just how sick should someone be before we ask Jesus to heal them? How sick should someone be before they call for the elders to anoint them?” What do you tell your frirend? See James 5:14-18.

Read in Class: Mark 1:35-39. Ask the class to summarize this passage.

Study: What important lessons can be taken from what Jesus did here?

Apply: Read Luke 6:12. Have you ever prayed all night? How big a part does prayer play in your daily living? Is it really even pracitical to think we can pray like Jesus did?

Share: Your friend asks, “Have you ever personally experienced a miracle that you credit directly to prayer? Can you tell us about it?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 1:40-45. Ask the class to summarize this passage.

Study: What does this teach us about Jesus and how He related to the marginalized in society?

Apply: How can we be careful not to do things that could hamper the spread of the gospel, no matter how good our intentions?

Share: Can you think of someone who may be feeling like an “outsider”? How can you reach out to that person this week and make them feel included?

by In Light Of The Cross

1: The Beginning of the Gospel-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, July 6, 2024.

Main Theme: The first step this week will be to learn about Mark as reported in Scripture, to see his early failure and eventual recovery. Then the study will turn to the opening section of Mark with a look forward to where the story is headed and a look backward at why a failed and then restored missionary would write such a text.

Read in Class: Acts 13:1-5, 13. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How did John Mark get attached to Saul and Barnabas, and what was the outcome?

Apply: Recall a time when you backed off from something—or even flat out failed at it—in your Christian walk. What did you learn from the experience?

Share: Your friend is the Pathfinder leader in your local church. She is getting discouraged, because a few of her assistant leaders keep quitting whenever there are challenges. Now she feels like quitting. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Acts 15:36-39, 2 Timothy 4:11, and Philemon 1:23-24. What are these passages telling us?

Study: Why did Paul reject John Mark, and why did Barnabas give him a second chance? What details about Mark’s recovery do these verses suggest?

Apply: Consider a time when you or a friend failed and were given a second chance. How did that experience change you and those who helped you? How did it modify your ministry to others?

Share: Your friend, who is the pathfinder leader. is telling you about a Pathfinder girl and boy who were caught in the woods alone acting inappropriately with each other. The kids are being disciplined, but she is wondering if they should both be kicked out of the club? She asks you where you draw the line between a second chance and getting kicked out? What do you tell your Pathfinder leader friend?

Read in Class: Mark 1:9-13. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Who is present at the baptism of Jesus, and what happens?

Apply: What does it tell you about the amazing love of God that, though Jesus was God, He would take upon Himself our humanity in order to save us?

Share: Yiour friend asks you why the Sprit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? What do you tell your friend? See also Matthew 4:1-11.

Read in Class: Mark 1:14-15. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study:  What are the three parts of the gospel message that Jesus proclaimed?

Mark summarizes here the simple and direct message of Jesus. Its three parts are illustrated in the following table:

CategoryContent
Time ProphecyThe time is fulfilled.
Covenant PromiseThe kingdom of God is near.
Call to DiscipleshipRepent and believe the gospel.

Apply: Read Daniel 9:24-27 and Acts 10:38. When was the last time you studied the 70-week prophecy? How can knowing this prophecy help increase your faith not only in Jesus but in the trustworthiness of the prophetic Word?

Share: If someone asked you, “How do you know Jesus was actually the Messiah?” What Scriptures from the Old and New Testament could you share with them to show Jesus was the Messiah? See The Messiah in Scripture.